Wizard of Earthsea: Alternate Ending
by Subtle King
Summary: I wrote this small, alternate ending to the first book in this series for english class a little while ago. Please comment I am a relatively new writer, so constructive criticism is welcome and anticipated. The first part is right from the book as a start


I wrote this small ending to the first book in this series for english class a little while ago. I just found out about this website a few days ago, and before I post any of the more recent things I have been working on I want to see what you all think of my work. So here it is; I hope you enjoy. The first paragraph is copied right from the book I believe, so I hope you have some idea as to what is going on.

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A Wizard of Earthsea: Alternate Ending

… By the vague starlight they found their way to the creek mouth and untied Lookfar from the rock cairn where she had been made fast, and pushed her out into the black water. So they set out from Astowell, heading eastwards ever and always. Those days they had clear skies and a strong magewind, the result of the first magic Ged had used since their departure from Iffish.

The days passed uneventfully, with Ged and Vetch singing songs of old and talking of deeds long sung of. After a while, Vetch began to doubt his friend's sanity, seeing as they had not encountered or seen any sign of land, or of other ships, just as the old isle-man told them. When Vetch tried to express his doubts to Ged, all he got in reply was, "Yes, I'm sure of our course," or something equally brief.

On what was to be the last day of their hunt, Ged awoke with a sense of heavy foreboding, and became even more sullen and quiet. They continued to sail, and, although they had not yet eaten their midday meal, the sky and sea around them grew dark and heavy, as if night had come early. All of a sudden, as if it rose out of the water in front of them, was a dark sandbar, with nothing but a deep blackness beyond. As hard as Vetch looked, he could see nothing beyond the edge but sand. There were not even any rocks, let alone trees or bushes. It was because of this that he thought it must have been an illusion, for there is no place in all of Earthsea that has no life at all. To this end, he wove all the seeing spells and truth charms he knew, but the sandbar remained there still.

Just as Vetch was about to caution Ged, Ged stopped the boat and stepped out onto the shoreline. To Vetch, it seemed as if time stood still for a moment, as if Ged were about to plunge into the depths of the sea. But then that moment passed, and Ged walked out further onto the beach. Then, as if it had always been there, the shadow stood across from Ged looking at him. As Ged's staff burned with an almost divine radiance, he let go of his staff and jumped at the shadow, each ramming the other in midair. Then, as if the world exploded around them shadow and light joined with an almighty crash. When the sound faded, Ged lay there on the ground unmoving for a long time, while Vetch waited, uncertain, in the boat. At long last, when Ged stirred, Vetch vaulted the side of the boat and raced across the beach to Ged. He helped Ged sit up and made him as comfortable as possible, all the while asking him questions, all of which were left unanswered.

He was still taking care of Ged when he saw Ged's eyes grow wide with fright and heard a voice from the past, albeit a bit colder than the last time they had heard it. "Aww, so sad to see you in this condition, Sparrowhawk. Pity the thing did not turn you to a gebbeth as Gensher thought it would."

At this Ged tried to stand, but failed. Instead he said, "Nice to see you too, Jasper. It looks like you have been made a gebbeth. That must be a tale worth telling, so please, do tell. If not, then I shall destroy you _and_ your possessor, without ever knowing why."

"If it is your dying wish to know that, then tell you I shall." As Jasper said this, he, or the shadow that now controlled him, sat down, and gesturing to Vetch and Ged, bade them to do the same.

"In the months after you summoned the shadow, I was intensely aware that you had made a fool of me there on Roke Knoll. I heard again and again the words of that spell, as if I too had been saying it, while you did. I continued with my normal studies, but devoted all my time to learning what I could about the thing that you summoned and others of its kind. All that effort was in vain, for I learned nothing! I gave up my search shortly before you emerged from your coma, and I was sent to the Grove to obtain my staff. As you can see, I did not. So I went to Osskil, at the Court of the Terranon, to keep my promise to the Lady of O. I went there, and for a time my rage burned low, and I forgot my humiliation at your hands.

"But that was not to be, because, lo and behold, who should show up but the person whom I hate most in all of Earthsea; you! You were an exciting visitor who came running from something unknown to her, and so you stole her from me, again humiliating me in front of the Court by having her say that she "no longer desired me" and had "found a more pleasant distraction." So you angered me again, and I stole the weak-willed King's mind, using him to try to turn you into a slave of the Terranon; of him, and of me. At first I thought I was succeeding, but you continued to resist the temptation to try to use the Terranon and become my slave.

"One day, I found a blessing of sorts. The enemy of my enemy, I soon discovered, could not be my friend, but did help me get one. Your shadow showed up on the day that my patience wore out. I un-fogged your mind, gave the King back his, and I let you realize what was happening. Of course when that happened, you just had to bring the whole castle, my home and life for the past three years, down around my ears. So I took what things I could scavenge and made my way to a pair of unused islands in the northern part of the East Reach, where you conveniently gave me your shadow again this time to study, for lack of a better word. After the shadow escaped my Permanent Chamber, I realized that the only way to beat you was to join you. With this in mind, I decided to make good use of the words that had been running through my mind since that night on Roke Knoll. I meditated for a time before I felt ready to try the spell. I had no intention of summoning the dead, so I reworked the spell so that it should only summon the shadow. Needless to say, my skill and knowledge prevailed and I successfully summoned the shadow. Instead of it possessing me unwantedly I took the shadow into myself and realized, finally, what true power was. I left the Isles of the Hands and followed you southeast. While you went to Iffish to get your pathetic friend, I travelled ahead and talked with your shadow there on the Island of Cosk. I, or rather my companion, told him of our desire and our plan. He agreed, and he set out on the day before you left, bound as he was to you, dragging you along with him and away from your friend Yarrow.

"Several nights later, as he passed my little hiding spot, I had a dream. I dreamed that you were king over all of Earthsea, and I was but a slave in the gutter who rose to his feet in defiance and struck down the weak, pathetic king. Spurred on by that dream, I followed you here, always out of sight and sound; the hidden hunter, the stronger warrior, the soon-to-be victor. You kept sailing, always sailing, until even I who orchestrated this whole thing began to doubt. And still you sailed: on and on over the harsh waves and brutal seas until you stopped, suddenly and irrationally. As I drew nearer, I saw that you had not simply stopped, but you had run aground here at the place the shadow had chosen. I had not even realized that this place existed, but now that I do, I must say it is a fitting spot for your death where you will never be found and I can go back to a peaceful life without you." With that he turned and started pacing back and forth across the sand muttering to himself.

While he paced, Ged struggled to stand, waving away Vetch when help was offered. When he had stood and composed himself, Ged said, "Jasper, all that you have said makes sense, yet I find myself with a couple of questions."

"Ask away boy. I will try to answer your questions as best I can. I'll find it easiest to kill you, I think, when you are satisfied."

"Okay then," Ged said with a sigh, "My first question is this: how did you always know where I was after I accidentally dropped the castle on you?"

"Oh, I'm surprised that you can't figure that one out on your own. You must have even less brain power than I thought. Oh well, I guess I'll never have a worthy adversary," he said with a tone of regret in his voice. "Anyway, it's simple really. I was the only living person there who was not enslaved and therefore I was given command of all the living guardians of the Terranon. It was them who followed you."

"Okay then, Powerful One," Ged said, sarcasm dripping from his words, "How do you, weak as you are and always have been, plan to kill Vetch and I?"

"With wizardry, how do you think? I am now more powerful than you will ever be!"

With that, Jasper flung out his arms and called upon the magic to bend to his whims. Seeing this, Vetch used all his power to put a shield around Ged, and, sinking to his knees in exhaustion, looked up to see Jasper turn away from Ged to face him. A great despair filled Vetch, for he thought that he had failed his friend. As he saw the fire begin to blaze from Jasper's outstretched hand, he looked over at Ged's face, contorted with anger, as he looked at their assailant; soften when their eyes locked for the last time in this life. Then Vetch saw Ged's face harden, not in anger, but in determination and concentration, his mouth forming the words to a spell. It was then that he knew that Ged was proud, and did not think Vetch had failed. The world grew hot, and Vetch saw the fireball come racing his way, and smelled the sulphur that composed his death. Just as he passed out and the world began to go black, the brilliant light caught him, ending all sensation. And so passed Vetch, loyal companion and friend to Ged, Sparrowhawk and once, not so long ago, promising illusionist, Jasper.

When the flames faded, Jasper looked down at the small scorch mark where Vetch had formerly been lying and said, "Do not be sad Sparrowhawk. Instead, be happy for your friend, for his death was quick. I shall do my utmost to ensure that yours is not."

When he finished, he looked up at Ged, a fierce gleam in his eye. At the sight of Ged, however, that gleam vanished; dissipated as fast as his hope of seeing another dawn did. For Ged stood there, hands and staff outstretched, pointing at Jasper, as he intoned the words to the spell that would eradicate a dangerous foe from Earthsea.

The lightning bolt struck Jasper square in the chest, hurling him backwards a good thirty feet.

Ged did not even bother to go and see if Jasper still lived or not. Judging from the still smoking carcass Jasper did not. So Ged waited and, eventually, they came. The Guardians of the Stone of the Terranon came to the side of their former master, Jasper. Once they had ascertained that Jasper, indeed no longer lived, they turned to the closest living man for leadership, as their first maker had intended. They turned to Ged, and he just shook his head and stood up. He said, in a loud voice that pierced the blackness and gloom, "Guardians! I know not for whom you were originally created, but hear me now." In the old speech he said "By the first word that Segoy spoke as he made the world, and the last word that has yet to be spoken until all things are unmade; I free you now from your bonds and oaths, both magical and non." At the end of this spell, he sat down on the beach and continued, his voice no longer booming across the earth, saying, "You are now free to live or die, for better or for worse, as you like."

After Ged finished, the Guardians shook themselves and collapsed into dust for they had been magically alive for seven centuries.

Ged journeyed back to Iffish, carrying the bad news of Vetch's death and the remnants of Vetch's ashes that he gathered. When he arrived, Yarrow ran out to the quayside to greet the returning heroes, but stopped in her tracks as she only saw Ged stepping off of Lookfar's deck. And so, his homecoming was not the joyous one he had expected.


End file.
